5.7.1 Slavery in ancient Rome As the Roman Empire grew, many captives were sold into slavery. Slaves had hard lives and could be cruciýed for rebellion. In Roman law, individuals sold into slavery had no ancestry, no legal person-hood and they could not formally marry. Miners, prostitutes and gladiators suffered the most. Miners rarely lived past 21; gladiators fought to the death (see SOURCES2 and 3 ). However, unlike most slaves, gladiators knew how to ýght.
SOURCE2 From an account of gladiators in combat by the Roman historian Seneca (4–65 CE)
I arrived at the Colosseum in the middle of the day ... No sooner has a man killed his rival than the crowd shout for him to kill another, or be killed. In the end every ýghter dies ... why watch their sufferings?
5.7.2 The great slave rebellion In 73 BCE, at Capua, gladiators led by a Thracian named Spartacus started a rebellion. They overpowered their guards and escaped. They grew to 10 000, defeated Roman legions and freed other slaves, causing panic throughout Rome. The rebels were eventually defeated. Spartacus’s group lost a battle, with about 60 000 dying (see SOURCES4 and 5 ). Over 6000 were captured and cruciýed as a warning to others.
SkillBuilder discussion Using historical sources 1. Describe the details that show the gladiators’ status. 2. How does the sculpture reþect gladiatorial culture? 3. What combat techniques might we learn from the sculpture?
SOURCE3 A relief sculpture depicting two gladiators named Scholasticus and Damascenus from the third century CE. The sign indicates that Damascenus died in the ýght. Most gladiators’ lives ended this way, although a few very successful ýghters were able to buy their freedom.
TOPIC5 Ancient Rome 151
Made with FlippingBook interactive PDF creator